


Till Death Do Us Part (and Reunite Again)

by sendcatnipmadam



Category: Kingdom Hearts (Video Games)
Genre: Multi, Necromancy, SoRiKai Week 2020, Tragedy, Weddings, Winter
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-06
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 00:21:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,540
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25704289
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sendcatnipmadam/pseuds/sendcatnipmadam
Summary: Two wanted outlaws have been caught and sentenced to execution for their crimes. Hidden from public eye, a third lurks in the dark, searching to reconnect the bonds she had lost.
Relationships: Kairi/Riku/Sora (Kingdom Hearts)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 8





	1. Two Graves

**Author's Note:**

> Day 4: Snow

It was a dark, wintry night, with not a single hint of light to be seen, except for a single lantern held by a keeper as he patrolled the graveyard. Trailing by his feet was a bloodhound that sniffed about the snowy ground for potential robbers. The hound perked up and pointed her nose in a particular direction with a low growl, but when the keeper held out his lantern to inspect, all he saw through the darkness was two recently added graves. Beneath the thin veil of snow and frost were the names of the newly deceased: Sora Amano and Riku Moriyama. 

While these two were no older than teenagers, their short lives had twice as much impact than the average adult local, having been the wanted assassins of the thirteen councilmen. Struck with fear and anger, the townspeople had searched several days for these criminals. Eventually both of them were captured alive, and after a speedy trial charging them of murder, they were sentenced to a public lynching. 

It wasn't their surprisingly young ages that had chilled the public to their core. It wasn't their deaths, in which one's neck broke from the weight of the fall and the other struggled through a more slow, painful death. It was their moment before the executioner had pulled the lever. When offered a short time for last words, only one of them, Riku, had spoken. His bright, piercing eyes looked beyond the crowd as he uttered his final word.

"Kairi." 

The boys were buried alongside each other like star-crossed lovers, but their names haunted the town as partners in a heinous crime. Even when the Council declared the incident resolved, speculations and rumors floated among the residents over that final moment.

What exactly did it mean, they wondered? Was it a code? A curse? 

No, some people thought. It wasn't a what, but perhaps a _who._ This "Kairi" could've been anyone to the duo. A relative. A lover. Or, to some people's fear, an assistant to the murders. As the days grew shorter and colder, a collective paranoia festered among public minds as "Kairi" slowly transformed from a mere name to a boogeyman that could strike anywhere at any moment. It's a wonder how much of a hold a dead boy's voice had over hundreds of people. 

The keeper's hound continued to growl towards the graves, and with an uneasy grumble and a tug at the leash, he lead his whimpering tracker away from the graves to finish his night shift, unaware that what his canine companion was pointing not at a pair of dead men, but a cloaked figure who was hiding just a few feet away, with the fleeting snow and trees obscuring its sight. With a sudden gust of wind, the figure's hood flew off, revealing a feminine, tear-streaked face. The girl took one more glance at Sora and Riku's graves before pulling the hood back over her red hair and disappearing into the night. 


	2. Before I Go...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 5: Gift

"The 13 Incidents are resolved," the Head Councilman had declared. 

After the assassins were captured and executed, thirteen new councilmen were elected right away, its leader Luxu insisting that everybody move on from the murders, as if nothing had ever happened. Despite that the townspeople agreed to this statement, being oh, so desperate to bury this disturbing event, the young Riku's final word had left a deep cut into their peaceful minds. During the cold, foggy day the name "Kairi" would echo into the air, and during the frosty, dark nights people would anxiously check their locks and look out their windows, fearing that the one time that they don't would be the night that the unseen third accomplice would strike. 

That is why that not even a week later, when the graveyard keeper had made his urgent report, the town was near the edge of mass hysteria. Fearful yet curious, several townspeople followed the keeper to where Sora and Riku were buried, and surely enough, the sight wasn't a hallucination or some twisted joke like they wanted it to be. The two graves had caved in, and when the coffins were uncovered, the lids appeared to have been busted open, with the corpses no where to be seen. 

To the dismay of the Council, the names of Sora and Riku had resurfaced with an air of fear and terror as the townspeople searched for their bodies, with no sign of them anywhere. Immediately they jumped to conclusions, with witchcraft and necromancy being the most popular explanations. Some even went as far as to connect the still unknown Kairi, branding her a witch who was the mastermind behind this entire disaster and needed to be hunted down. With the ever growing fear festering in their hearts, many bought this to be true. After all, why else would Riku utter her name? 

In a short time the search party became a witch hunt, as mobs rallied up their weapons, torches, and bloodhounds to eradicate the fabricated threat. The dark wintry night was lit up with flames of fear and anger. 

* * *

Kairi looked down at the unearthed graves of her soulmates, clutching her necklace with anticipation. Her spell was successful, and Sora and Riku should be resurrected and waiting for her somewhere out there to meet her again. Some distance away, she could see the light and smoke of torches and hear the shouts of angry mobs, no doubt targeted towards her. Figures that trying to solve her problems by getting rid of the old Council would only make them worse. Her life was like a Hydra, and she should've known better than to let Sora and Riku go in head first to slay it. Now she was suffering the consequences of not only having the only people that she had loved taken away from her, but also an entire village coming after her to finish what was started. 

She looked to the sky as if searching for an answer, but the moon was obscured by thick, dark clouds. Kairi then placed a hand to her chest, feeling a slight tug to her heart. It was neither forceful nor painful, but it gave the familiar sensation of longing, like someone after being separated from their loved ones for a long time. Kairi turned towards the woods, knowing that feeling all too well. 

"I'm coming," she breathed out loud, dashing into the trees and letting the pull guide her through the dark.

No doubt the bloodhounds would be able to track her eventually but she pushed that worry to the back of her mind, focusing on finding the boys who mattered to her most. As the pull became stronger, she picked up her pace, and she could've sworn she could hear their voices, calling her name with the same loving ache that she had felt for the past few days. 

Eventually the trees cleared away to a small beach, and the moon was peaking from the clouds to the sand and water. Kairi stopped dead in the sand when she saw two figures standing near the shore. She couldn't find the voice to call out their names, neither did she had to, because she knew that they knew she was there right behind them. When they turned, Kairi choked out a sob, as the clouds had fully moved out of the way, letting the moon shine its yellow-tinted light upon the walking corpses of Sora and Riku. 

The brightness of their eyes were gone, leaving dull, faded pupils in sunken eyelids. Their hair was messy and caked with dirt, and their skin was an ashen gray, tightened against their skulls. Underneath his collar a nasty purple bruise could be seen on Sora's neck. His jaw hang open and his dried blue tongue lolled from his mouth. Riku's head was bent over his shoulder, clearly unable to hold it up straight. 

Kairi stumbled towards them, trying not to collapse from the shock and foul smell of decay emitting from her undead lovers. Tears stung her eyes as she gazed into their lifeless faces. Slowly, Sora reached for her hand and gently grasped it, making Kairi shiver at the stiff, ice-cold touch. He held it out and with his other hand Sora placed something in Kairi's hand. It was the lucky charm she had made before he and Riku had set off on their mission. She made it as proof of their promise to return safely so that they could be together with no more walls to keep them apart. 

At the reminder, Kairi choked up, unable to meet Sora's eyes. 

"So much for dinky little charms," she muttered. "I should never had let you guys do this. I...I'm sorry."

Another stiff hand was placed on her shoulder, this time being Riku's. Even with his head bent to the side, Kairi could feel him trying to comfort her.

 _Don't say that,_ he seemed to say.

Riku pulled out a small black box, and when he opened it, Kairi gasped. Inside were three golden rings with stars studded on top, glittering underneath the moonlight. 

"Is this...?" Kairi reached for the box, studying the jewelry. 

Being unable to speak, Sora's lips stretched out, most likely an attempt to smile. As uncanny as it looked, Kairi couldn't help but let out a small giggle. Here she was, being hunted down by a bunch of angry townspeople, talking to two mute zombies who appeared to be proposing to her. It was funny, in a morbid sort of way. Even when she could hear the hounds barking, letting her know that the mob was closing in on her, she kept her smile, knowing that it was all Sora and Riku wanted to see. She held the box and the charm close to her chest, giving one last look at her only treasures. 

"Thank you, guys," she said, her voice cracking as she fought back the tears. "We'll see each other again."

Once she had turned her back to face the crowd, her spell had released, leaving the two boys collapsing motionless into the sand. To the townspeople who had arrived, Kairi was alone with nothing but two cadavers at each of her side. Her body was shaking with fear, but for Sora and Riku, she held her head high as the crowd snatched her and dragged her back to determine her fate. 


	3. Reunion by Wish

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 6: Reunion and Wish

When Kairi awoke from her dreamless slumber, her eyes readjusted to see a mossy stone ceiling facing back at her. Her prison's chilly air and dank odor of mildew and rot brought her fully awake, but she couldn't even be bothered to sit up. As of now, she saw no point in it. Beside her wooden plank of a bed, Kairi heard small scuffling sounds. She turned her head to see two rats nibbling on some stale bread on a plate. Kairi remembered that after being thrown into this awful place, the guards surprisingly had enough heart to give her something for dinner. It frankly surprised her that they would still do something even remotely humane to her, considering what she was here for. Too bad she didn't have the appetite to take even a single bite. As far as she was concerned, the rats needed that bread more than she did. 

Probably sensing that they were being watched, the skinnier rat of the two looked up and stared at Kairi with a piece of bread in its paws. Kairi stared back, not moving a single inch as the fatter rat continued to gobble down its meal. The blue rat looked down at its piece and held it higher. Kairi couldn't tell if she was still dreaming, hallucinating from lack of eating, or this rat was actually...offering her food _._ Before she could figure out, a tall shadow loomed from entrance, causing both rats to squeak in fright and skitter away. 

When Kairi finally mustered up the will to sit up, her gut dropped when she saw that her visitor was none other than Luxu, the new Head Councilman. 

"Long time, no see, Princess," he said. "Liking the new haircut." 

The words sent more shivers to Kairi's than the cold dungeon itself. He definitely knew that her hair wasn't cut by choice, and was most likely now being sold as an expensive wig. Hopefully whatever hag managed to get her hands on it was making good use of it. Kairi answered him with her deepest scowl, but he merely smirked in amusement as he continued his usual snark. 

"I have to say, I knew you'd try to pull a little stunt as payback, but I didn't think you'd go _this_ far. You really caught me off guard there, Princess!" 

Kairi's mouth remained shut, refusing to speak to someone who was complicit in making her life miserable. She hated that nickname back then, and she hated it now. 

"Who knew that you were the ruthless type who'd send her little knights to do all the dirty work? That massacre was something else. Though I shouldn't be too surprised, given what you did to me before running off."

_And it felt good doing it,_ Kairi thought as she looked at his missing eye. 

"S'quite a shame. If that old coot knew what you truly had in you, he would've made you a fine addition to the Council." 

_He can't be serious._ Kairi's teeth clenched. How could Xehanort ever change his mind about her after all these years? After all, to him, she was no different than all the other lab rats in his little game. Dependent. Insignificant. Disposable. At this point, she knew this bastard was taunting her. 

"But I guess that's what happens when you let out an animal that was caged for far too long."

"Why are you here?" Kairi snapped. "You and your damned Council have already done enough in taking _everything_ I've loved away from me and isolating anything else from my reach! What could you gain from tormenting even me further? You might as well skip the trial and just _hang me already!"_

As the words poured out, so did the tears as Kairi's bottled up fear and rage and grief had burst. Her body shook from the overwhelming emotion and was heaving with sobs. She didn't even try to take back the words, because at this point she meant everything she said. 

Everything. 

She had just about enough of being trapped, freed only to be used, and then trapped again once whatever shitty job she had was done. She just wanted to see them again. To hold and their hands and see their smiles. Hear them talk and laugh about nonsense. Was it really too much to ask? 

"Well," Luxu said, the cocky attitude gone from his voice. "It's not like a trial will really change anything will it? You know what you're guilty of, w know, the whole town knows. Would've preferred they had no idea about your existence so that we could execute you right away, but, they're pretty much itching for a public lynch."

Oddly enough, his tone seemed apologetic.

_Don't tell me he's showing me pity now._ At that, Kairi looked up at him with a wry smile. 

"In that case, let's get on with it. Giving people what they want is what I do best."

* * *

Many different people feel many different emotions while being walked towards the gallows. Fear, anguish, regret, and, on rare, odd occasions, exhilaration. Kairi felt none of those. She felt nothing at all. Other than the rope digging into her wrists and the morning breeze biting at her face and fingers, Kairi was completely and utterly numb, even when the merciless crowd hurled insults at her.

"Witch!" and "Demon!" and "Murderer!" they shouted, but Kairi paid them no attention. It didn't matter that they wanted to see her dead. Those sheep could remain following a government that pretends to care about them for all she cared. The way she saw it, they were both getting what they wanted all along. Kairi expected her heart rate her heart to spike in fear at she was guided up the steps, but nothing came, not even when the noose was tightened against her neck. She never thought she would feel so indifferent at meeting the face of Death. She wondered if Sora and Riku had felt the same emptiness as this. 

_Were you thinking of me as I am of you? Were you saddened knowing you wouldn't see me alive again?_

As the executioner recited the list of crimes she was charged with-conspiring against and murdering the old Council and witchcraft-Kairi counted the final seconds of her cursed life, wishing it good riddance. Finally when the executioner gripped the lever, Kairi was asked for her last words. As if making a wish, she closed her eyes, replacing the image of a remorseless audience with the lively faces of her lovers. 

"Bury me right beside them," she answered in a small, cracked voice. "My final resting place. That is all that I want."

_Sora, Riku, I'll be at your side again._

With that, the lever was pulled, and Kairi fell. First thing she felt was the rope violently yanking at her neck and constricting her windpipe. The second was the absence of a ground beneath her dangling feet. It felt like an eternity for Death to finally come as her ears became clogged, her vision began to black out, and her lungs screamed for air, only for more to escape her lips in the form of choking sounds. 

Finally Death reached its hand to press down on her head and rock her body still, and then there was nothing, nothing as its cloak of silence and darkness enveloped her. 

* * *

Thus ended a time of terror in the village, and peace was restored as the Council had declared the incident settled, for good this time. By order of Luxu, the witch was buried beside her accomplices, with the mysterious little box and charm placed in her coffin. Like her predecessors, not a single eulogy nor tear was shed for her, as other than her name, she was nobody to the general public. The tense air had been lifted, and the townspeople continued about their lives, just as the Council had hoped they would. 

In the graveyard, a small blue rat scuttled through the dying grass, sniffing for any scrap of food that may be available in the area. He came across a small bunch of mushrooms, their fresh color a great contrast to the rest of the scenery. While plucking up a few, the rat spotted three gravestones separated from the rest, as if they were outcasts. One of these graves looked fresher than the other two, being engraved with the name "Kairi Fukushima". 

After taking in the view, the rat finished gathering its mushrooms and ran away unfazed, eager to return to his family again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before you ask, yes, that was a Remy and Emil cameo.


	4. Forever Intertwined

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Day 7: Wedding

It was an unusually windy night, to the graveyard keeper's dismay. It made the air even colder, making his eyes water and his nose become runny. The sooner he could be done with this damn shift, the better. All the keeper needed to do was make sure his trusty hound didn't sniff out any robbers, and then he could return to the warmth and comfort of his house.

Just simply pass those remaining graves and he was all done.

Psyching himself up, he let his hound lead the way to scout the remainder of the graveyard. As he continued his path, the temperature seemed to drop even further, and the wind became even stronger. One sudden gust was able to knock the keeper to the ground, causing him to drop his lantern. He cursed, seeing that the whole thing was shattered and its flame extinguished. Thankfully the night was spared with a cloudless sky, letting the full harvest moon be an adequate light source. 

When the keeper was passing the remaining three graves, the hound halted in her tracks, whimpering. 

"What is it, girl?" the keeper asked, realizing what she was frightened of. Warily eyeing the three tombstones, he yanked at the leash to get himself and his dog away. The hound's whines became even louder, and she was shivering, too. The keeper was also shaking head to toe, and it probably wasn't just because of the cold. The last thing he wanted to deal with now was more abnormal activity involving those three after last time. He just wanted to go home already. 

From the corner of his eye, he spotted movement on one of the mounds of dirt. At first he assumed it was insects, but when he turned his head, he noticed that the dirt was shifting itself, gradually falling away to reveal...a hand.

A pale, rotting hand. 

_No! Not again!_

The keeper wanted to scream, but his breath caught with fear as he saw the two other graves following the first. The hound, on the other hand, broke into a series of terrified barks and whines as a second hand clawed out from the ground. With one forceful yank, the keeper was able to get his hound to move, and the two were practically dashing away back to the village. 

By the time they were out of sight, a head matted with silver hair peaked from its grave. The head, belonging to a young man, flopped to the side as he pulled the rest of himself out. Eventually the other two ghouls rose from their burials, one a boy with spiky brown hair and the other a redheaded girl. The girl's jaw hung open, pouring dirt from her mouth, while the boy's skin was starting have gaps in his cheeks, making his jaw even more unhinged. 

Underneath the moon's yellow light, Kairi, Sora, and Riku stood together, their clothes tattered, their bodies decomposing. Kairi looked the least withered out of the three, despite her pallid skin and sunken eyes. But to Sora and Riku, she was still beautiful regardless, just as much as she was when she was alive. Neither of them were even able to give an attempt at smiling, but that didn't matter to Kairi. Just spending her final moments in this cruel world with them was more than enough. 

Kairi pulled out the small black box, a little worn, but it wasn't appearances that were relevant, it was the contents. She popped the lid open and pulled out the three rings. The boys held out their hands for Kairi to gently slip each ring onto their finger, placing the last one on hers. Despite where they've been kept this whole time, the stars on top still maintained their glittery sheen. 

And finally their joint wish had come true, wife and husbands together at last. 

The turbulent wind slowed to a soft breeze, a sound that was simply noise to normal human ears but was music to the trio's. A quiet, sweet melody that had brought tranquility to Kairi's troubled soul when she was still alive. Usually she would've sang it, but with her ruptured throat and shriveled lungs, she could not. She didn't need to, knowing that Sora and Riku could hear the tune alongside her, having memorized every note at this point.

As if reading her mind too, they held out her hands and she took them. They felt neither stiff and cold nor soft and warm, but that no longer bothered Kairi. In the end, they were all walking corpses. Like synchronized toys, they danced to their symphony. Their movements, while crooked like defective marionettes, showed off their unwavering harmony. They stepped, waltzed, and spun around in their little world, so as long as the music in their intertwined hearts kept on playing.

And it did keep on playing, until the crack of dawn when the sun had begun to peak over the horizon. The three newlyweds brought their dance to a close, hands still clasped together as they spent the rest of their time watching the sunrise. Once the sunlight kissed their dry, shriveled up flesh, their bodies started to smoke and then catch fire. Kairi gazed at the tiny flames growing bigger as they ate more and more of her away. Once again she could feel no pain or warmth, which was a welcome contrast to her death. 

Kairi took one last look at her husbands, the color completely drained from their irises and complexions, but the love was still there. It was that moment that all three of them knew that nothing could take their love away from each other, whether it be a corrupt organization, fire, or even Death itself. As the flames climbed up her neck, Kairi stretched her lips to grace Sora and Riku's last sights with a smile, and they were all engulfed in one big, brilliant fire. 

* * *

"Would you like to tell me why you are dragging me out here? _Again?"_ Luxu's patience was already thin given the fact that he wasn't a morning person, so when the graveyard keeper came pounding on his door this early, he was simmering in agitation. 

"I promise you, Your Honor," the keeper cried. "I saw it with my own eyes! There was hand coming out of the grave! _A hand!_ From the exact same place as last time!"

_Not this shit again._ Luxu clenched his teeth. 

"And what if what you saw was the dark playing tricks on you? What if you had just woken me up and taken me out here for nothing?" 

The keeper gulped. "M-my dog, Your Honor. She saw it too. In fact, she noticed it before I did! You'll see!"

Once they had reached the very end of the graveyard, Luxu's eye widened when he saw that the keeper was indeed right. The graves of Kairi, Sora, and Riku were empty, with marks indicating of the bodies crawling their way out, exactly like last time. On top of that, a foul smell of burnt flesh permeated the air, and nearby stood a pile of ash. At least they didn't need to try and search for the bodies again.

"Even in death, they tried to escape," Luxu muttered to himself. 

He had to hand it them-it's rare to see people so young carry so much determination to stay together. It truly was a shame they couldn't live long enough to be something greater. While observing the pile, he spotted one, two, three shiny object sticking out within the morning sunlight. 

"Hey, Keeper!" he called. "Come over here."

By Luxu's directions, the keeper found a large fallen twig and prodded the ash, digging out three matching rings with stars studded on the top. While it was clear that the ash had tarnished their sheen a little bit, they still seemed to shine like evening stars. 

"Well I'll be," the keeper breathed. "These are Wayfinder rings!" 

_I'll be indeed,_ Luxu agreed silently. 

Wayfinder wings were designed after a popular town legend, in which those who are married with these rare jewelry on their finger would forever live with their fates intertwined, and they would forever remain so close together they could be seen as one entity. Their bond would last an eternity to be unbreakable. Even in death. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Aaaaaand that wraps up my Sorikai story, I apologize for being brutal at a supposedly happy event, I just really like the idea of love so strong it wakes people from the dead.

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Sorikai Week ;)


End file.
